The Lankan team beats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their tournament hopes breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27

Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka secured four wickets in the last over to seal a nail-biting triumph over their opponents and preserve their faint hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a modest total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine more runs from the last six bowls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting win for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three defeats and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, suffered a fifth straight setback since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Even though the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a subpar fielding display.

They offered second chances to Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made the opposition regret it.

She registered a first international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 balls and sharing an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back into the game, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 for four to 202 complete.

In reply, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a lacklustre opening overs and they were later brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their score, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of the chasing team entering the last two bowling phases, with just 12 more runs required.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and allowed merely three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team grabbed the win at the very end.

Finally, it was a game of composure. The very experienced Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of team-mates as she set herself to bowl the last over, maintained her composure. Bangladesh could not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They might well have been pursuing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team seeming settled on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the chase was considerably smaller.

However, Bangladesh showed little purpose from the very beginning, scoring at below 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, experiencing a early batting collapse, and ultimately making themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But whatever problems there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203 total objective would have been substantially smaller.

It took them three efforts to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to take a tough chance as wicketkeeper to dismiss Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was dropped again on 55 runs and 63, the final opportunity going straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being trapped lbw by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with partners being dismissed around her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was also a stumping chance missed and a failed run-out, although the latter was a little unlucky, with Rubya Haider deputising with the gloves following an physical problem to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 chances at this World Cup and boast the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are overall heading in the proper way – they are participating in merely their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding standards is a prominent problem which needs focus.